A Plight: Bound by a Soul Incantation

As Li Yunjing stepped off the stage, the cultivators along the way stepped aside to make way for him, their eyes no longer showing any of the previous disdain or doubt, but only full of awe and admiration.

No one looked down on Li Yunjing because he came from a small sect.

Chu Lingxiao looked at Li Yunjing and thought to himself, "It seems I underestimated you before."

However, the fighting spirit in his eyes grew even stronger.

True geniuses never fear powerful opponents; they only strive to surpass themselves in duels with the strong.

He originally thought this Immortal Scripture competition was just a formality, but now, Li Yunjing's appearance has made this originally one-sided contest truly interesting.

Half an hour later, the final rankings for the second round of assessments were announced.

Li Yunjing's performance in the second round made him the undisputed number one.

Meanwhile, he also firmly held the top spot on the overall leaderboard with a perfect score in two rounds, followed closely by Chu Lingxiao with a difference of 0.5 points, and Luo Qingyan ranked third.

Wang Beichen maintained his steady performance, ranking 22nd overall, perfectly blending into the crowd.

Unfortunately, Xiao Tianxing failed the assessment in the second round and was eliminated.

Unfortunately, Xiao Tianxing was unlucky and drew a very obscure Cultivation Method.

Xiao Tianxing's comprehension was decent, but in the face of this Cultivation Method, he was like a newborn.

In the end, Xiao Tianxing only managed to get two points and failed to advance to the third round.

Zhao Fan was lucky; he drew a relatively easy Cultivation Method and managed to get six points, successfully advancing to the third round.

After the assessment concluded, the cultivators left the Myriad Laws Pavilion one after another.

As Li Yunjing reached the door, a disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Sect Leader Li, the Sect Leader invites you in. Please follow me."

Li Yunjing frowned. The sect leader of the Taiyi Immortal Sect wanted to see him? What was going on?

Isn't he just an illusion? Or perhaps Devil Cultivator in disguise?

Li Yunjing immediately took a closer look at the illusion of the Taiyi Immortal Sect disciple in front of him.

His expression was blank, his eyes devoid of any emotion, like a machine.

But Li Yunjing always felt something was off; he felt that the illusion of the disciple in front of him had gained a bit more life.

Circulating the Supreme Unity Pure Subtlety Scripture, Li Yunjing wanted to see if the illusion of the disciple before him was Devil Cultivator in disguise.

However, before Li Yunjing could find out the truth, the voice of the Five Spirits Lord rang in Li Yunjing's mind.

"Don't worry, young master, this person is no threat. He's just a pitiful person who's trapped."

Li Yunjing was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Five Spirits Lord explained, "These 'illusions' that you see, young master, are not actually illusions, but rather souls."

The entire sect has been cursed with some kind of Soul Incantation, but their souls cannot be reincarnated and are trapped here.

Upon hearing this, Li Yunjing's heart immediately tightened.

No wonder those illusions looked so realistic.

Since Five Spirits Lord said there was no threat, then Li Yunjing had nothing to worry about.

He nodded slightly, letting Zhao Fan and Xiao Tianxing leave first, while he followed the disciple to see True Person Qingxuan.

Not long after, Li Yunjing arrived at a grand hall.

True Person Qingxuan was sitting at a rosewood table, toying with a white jade chess piece in his hand.

Seeing Li Yunjing enter, he gestured, "Sit."

Li Yunjing sat down as instructed, remaining silent and waiting for True Person Qingxuan to continue.

"Young friend Li, your discussion on the Formation Dao today was absolutely brilliant." True Person Qingxuan put down his chess piece and looked at Li Yunjing with gentle eyes. "In my entire life, I have never seen anyone so young who has comprehended the Formation Dao of Formations to such a high level."

"Senior Qingxuan, you flatter me. I've only just gotten a superficial understanding," Li Yunjing said humbly.

"You don't need to be so modest." True Person Qingxuan waved his hand, his expression gradually becoming solemn. "I've come to see you today for only one thing."

"Since you possess such profound attainments in the art of Formation Dao, you must have foreseen the predicament of my Taiyi Immortal Sect."

Li Yunjing's heart skipped a beat, and he tentatively asked, "Senior, are you saying that your souls are trapped?"

"Not bad." True Person Qingxuan's gaze softened further.

"So, senior, you want me to resolve this matter so that the souls of the Taiyi Immortal Sect members can successfully reincarnate?" Li Yunjing asked again.

True Person Qingxuan nodded. "Indeed."

Li Yunjing took a slight breath. "Senior, I'm afraid this Non-Self ability to resolve. Although I am aware of the predicament of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, I am powerless to help."

Without a doubt, Li Yunjing knew how difficult the problem True Person Qingxuan was currently facing was to solve.

Moreover, Li Yunjing only knew about this because Five Spirits Lord told him; otherwise, how would Li Yunjing have known?

True Person Qingxuan smiled and said, "There's no need to belittle yourself. I don't need you to help the Taiyi Immortal Sect solve this right away. Come back when you're capable. What do you think?"

Li Yunjing thought for a moment, then nodded. "That's no problem."

True Person Qingxuan nodded slightly, then said, "This matter is over. There's one more thing. You should already know that some Devil Cultivator have infiltrated, right?"

"Of course." Li Yunjing's gaze turned cold.

True Person Qingxuan said in a deep voice, "That Wang Beichen thinks he is a master of disguise, but in fact, my Taiyi Immortal Sect has known his identity for a long time."

Unfortunately, the people of our Taiyi Immortal Sect are powerless to stop them from Devil Cultivator.

I had hoped that someone on the righteous path would see it, but to my surprise, not a single person did. It's truly..."

True Person Qingxuan shook his head.

He looked at Li Yunjing, then took out a golden jade talisman from his Storage Bag and handed it to him. "This is the Spirit-Summoning Jade Slip of the Taiyi Immortal Sect. It can be used to draw on the remaining power of the Taiyi Immortal Sect."

The next stage, the Lapis Lazuli Secret Realm, is the final test. In the first two rounds, the Devil Cultivator only made simple moves, so it's likely they will go all out in the third round.

"Take this Jade Slip. If you encounter any danger, crush it immediately. It will save your life."

"This junior understands." Li Yunjing took the communication jade talisman and carefully put it away.

"The Lapis Lazuli Secret Realm is not like the Path of Immortal Ascension. It not only contains powerful Demon Beast, but also natural spatial rifts and array traps," True Person Qingxuan cautioned. "Especially the Soul Severing Valley in the northwest of the secret realm, which is one of the three forbidden death zones designated for this assessment, and also the only blind spot of the monitoring array."

If the Devil Cultivator chooses to make a move, he will definitely choose that place. Be careful.

"Senior Xie. I will keep it in mind," Li Yunjing said, cupping his hands in greeting.

By the time Li Yunjing left the main hall, the sun was already setting, and the golden afterglow shone on the magnificent palaces of Mount Taiyi, creating a scene as beautiful as a painting.

But Li Yunjing felt no relief whatsoever.

Only by successfully navigating the upcoming third round of assessments can one truly relax.

When Li Yunjing returned to the residence area for the participating cultivators, Xiao Tianxing was squatting at the gate of his courtyard, holding a spiritual herb in his hand.

Upon seeing Li Yunjing return, he immediately stood up and excitedly went to greet him, "Yunjing! You're finally back!"

"Senior Brother Xiao, is there anything I can help you with?" Li Yunjing asked.

"Good news, I have informed the Alliance Leader, and he will personally lead his people over to oversee the situation."

"Judging by the time, the Alliance Leader should have arrived by now," Xiao Tianxing.

A glint flashed in Li Yunjing's eyes; he hadn't expected Zhang Jianchen to come in person.